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Introducing Intern, Matt Petras
- Matt Petras
- Jan 20, 2016
- 2 min read
I'm set to report on activism and LGBTQ issues, and boy is it an interesting time in America for those two subjects.
The United States is about to elect the next president, and the most interesting candidates on both the left and the right are far from status quo establishment figures. Bernie Sanders, an independent congressman and democratic socialist, is surging on the democratic side and Donald Trump, a businessman, has been leading for almost the entire time he has been running. It isn't big-money at the center of our politics that is driving the 2016 presidential race, but grass-roots enthusiasm for much more than a small step to the left or the right: a jump to democratic socialism with Sanders and a jump to some gentle form of fascism with Trump.
Regular people taking to the streets to agitate for political change appears more prevalent than it ever has in my lifetime, whether it be for a living wage or the temporary ban of all Muslim immigrants.
Unfortunately lost in the explosive 2016 election is post-marriage-equality LGBTQ issues. It's rare to hear any candidate mention LGBTQ issues now that marriage is legal even though there are less sexy but, perhaps, more dire issues facing the LGBTQ community. Many states still allow workplace discrimination based on sexuality and gender identity and the rate of violence against transgender people is staggering.
A lot of Americans are hurting, and it isn't just the poor, Muslims, trans folk and the other marginalized groups, but also regular middle class white people. Despite this, there is still enthusiasm, idealism, and hope. I hope to find that hope amidst the strife and share it with readers of the NewPeople.
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